now more than 37 members of the fraternity, 37 to be exact, are facing charges in his death from homicide to hazing to assault to conspiracy. the asian-american fraternity was called pi delta si. it has been banned from baruch college. the incident happened in the poconos where a house had been rented for that weekend's brutal ritual. >> thank you, lucy. now to the final preparations for the pope's visit. he arrives in the u.s. in just a little more than a week and then he will come to new york with events planned throughout the city including central park. security is going to be tight like we haven't seen before. >> officials just revealed details today about their plans. eyewitness news reporter jim hoffer joins us live with what we can all expect. jim. >> reporter: yeah, you know, a week from this friday the pope mobile with pope francis will go right by this west drive area here in central park. you know, it's one of many stops that he's going to make

during his short 40 hour visit, although a brief visit, it is going to robust security that this city has ever seen and today some 50 agencies from the coast guard to con ed came together to drills. with the mayor and police commissioner present, nypd, secret service, office of emergency management, atf and numerous other agencies practiced possible emergency scenarios that could disrupt the pope's visit. >> another ied explosion, 1592 broadway. >> reporter: today's tabletop scenarios covered everything from backpack explosions to active shooters to a collapsed building and train derailment. >> get everyone involved in this,esu, boston explosive, perimeter. >> reporter: in a city that has faced unparalleled security challenges, the short visit by the pope next week is unmatched in the city's history.

>> we will have available capacity on land, on sea and in the air, we will have thousands and thousands of officers and the advantage of tremendously effective surveillance technology including cameras, explosive trace detection devices. >> reporter: in the short 40 hour visit the pope will go from one end of manhattan to the other, from the national 9/11 memorial to madison square garden, st. patrick's cathedral, a 12 block ride through central park in the pope mobile. the pope's desire to connect with the people running up against the nypd's concern for his safety. >> we are very comfortable that we are going to be able to meet both sets of needs and have a very safe event. >> reporter: and the pope's passion to meet the people has even raised the possibility, hopefully remote, that his holiness might take possible transit -- public transit. >> we hope not. >> reporter: well, that's for

sure, we hope not. that's what a lot of security officials are saying. don't expect pope francis to hop on the subway or the crosstown bus, but do expect some surprises and those surprises, well, that's what's keeping top security officials up at night. to you now we are live in central park, jim hoffer, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> jim, thank you. and leading up to the pope's visit, we have you covered on tv and online as we learn more about his trips and plans while he is here plus all the traffic changes, stay with us for continuing coverage. and we have an entire section on our website, abc7ny.com, where you can find the pope's information. newscast selling tickets to see the pope that are supposed to be free, 7 on your side has an important warning. we are following a developing story. a manhunt underway for a university professor who may have gunned down another professor at delta state university in mississippi. police say professor shannon lamb is a, quote, person of

interest in the death professor ethan schmidt. schmidt was found dead inside his history department office. police say they don't believe lamb is still on campus. they say lamb is a suspect in a second murder. right now the mta is looking for the person who threw a bicycle in front of a metro north train. service is following the bizarre incident bronx. eyewitness news anchor sandra bookman joins us with the search to find the person who threw that bike. sandra. >> reporter: yeah, joe, police don't know who, they don't know why, but they are doing everything they can to catch up with the guy or woman responsible for tossing that bike onto the tracks and putting a train load of people in jeopardy. the late morning commute for about 200 metro north riders came to an abrupt halt today when someone tossed a bicycle into the path of a harlem line train in the bronx. the white residue from a fire

extinguisher evidence of the brief blaze triggered in the collision with a third rail. with no injuries reported, passengers were quickly evacuated through the rear cars that hadn't even cleared the station and immediately put on another train headed into grand central terminal. as metro north crews dislodged the charred remains of the bike and began to assess the damage to the rail, 10 to 15 minute delays were being announced along the harlem and new haven lines, four tracks temporarily reduced to three and some trains forced onto express tracks. >> just a stupidity of some people. >> reporter: while some commuters were asking why anyone would deliberately throw a bicycle in front of a train, others were more focused on what the resulting delays would mean for them. >> how am i going to get to my destination? i'm very concerned about that when i heard something happened to the metro north and now i'm dependent on it. >> reporter: by mid-afternoon metro north repaired what it called minor damage to the third rail and harlem line

trains were once again running on or close to schedule. now, police did spend some time this afternoon canvassing the area around park avenue and 187th street, but they did not come up with any suspects. they are asking for anyone that has information about this incident and the person that tossed that bicycle to please call the mta police. we are live this evening in the ford dam section of the -- fordham section of the bronx, sandra bookman, channel 7 eyewitness news. another player suspended tonight, one of the team's biggest stars and highly regarded as a possible nfl draft pick. leonte karru suspended after saturday's game. anthony johnson is live in piscataway. >> reporter: the incident took place out in front of the hale center. that's on the other side of the stadium here, and it looks like at this point in time karru may

never play here again. police have now officially charged leonte karru with simple assault which involves a case of domestic violence. the 21-year-old from edison, new jersey has been arrested. this latest jolt comes as rutgers players are preparing for a big 10 showdown against penn state this weekend and got a midday pep talk from the school's athletic director supporting the coach and team following the news that their star player has been suspended indefinitely. coach kyle flood said he and administrators made the decision after karru allegedly took part in the stadium parking lot altercation after saturday's loss to washington state. >> anytime you make a decision like that you consult with the athletic director that's part of the chain of command but it was my decision. >> reporter: several players were dismissed from the team for their involvement in aggravated assault and home invasions. these incidents involving football players are not sitting well with the student body. >> i think that the people that we are supposed to be looking

up and praising are acting this way, it is a bad example for the rest of the students. >> reporter: the coach is also under fire for writing an e- mail to a professor apparently trying to intervene in a player's academic eligibility. the coach says at this point this investigation will not impact his availability for this weekend's game. >> i don't think it necessarily hurts the reputation of the school. maybe the program and possible recruits for the future but i don't think as a school, i don't think it really represents the university. >> reporter: this latest incident comes as the school gets ready to start its big 10 part of the season. this is the most important part of the season for the rutgers university football team and now they are without one of their biggest stars. that is the latest live from piscataway, new jersey, anthony johnson, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> anthony, thank you. in westchester county an emotional goodbye today for a police officer who helped with

rescue efforts at ground zero. lieutenant roy mclaughlin was remembered in yonkers this morning. hundreds of officers lined up to honor him. the 38-year-old died of brain cancer last thursday, just a day before the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. he is survived by his wife and four children. late night talk show host jon stewart and more than 100 first responders and new york city firefighters are headed to washington to meet with congressional leaders. they want legislators to extend the james zadroga 9/11 health and compensation act left unchanged, it will run out of money next october, money that finances health programs and compensation to survivors of the terror attacks. in new jersey, police are investigating the death of a young man found dead in a parking lot. the body of 22-year-old william correcty -- ca recchi was

discovered in a lot in aberdeen last night. police received a 911 call. he had been shot multiple times. no arrests have been made. and a pedestrian in the hospital tonight in critical condition after being hit by a van in manhattan's flatiron district. police say a van was turning from east 21st street onto fifth avenue when it struck a 51-year-old woman crossing the street. the victim, who has not been identified, was rushed to bellevue hospital. the driver stayed at the scene. no charges have been filed. authorities in kentucky say altered marriage licenses being issued by kim davis' office are valid. in a compromise it's apparently satisfied both sides of the debate. davis returned to work today for the first time since spending five days in jail for refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples. one of her deputies issued a license to a same-sex couple that was altered to remove

davis' name so as not to violent davis' conscience. >> if any feels they must issue an unauthorized license to avoid being thrown in jail, i will take no action against them. >> davis' lawyer is questioning the validity of the licenses saying her name is not on them but kentucky's governor and attorney general say they are valid. and new at 5:00, an alligator found in a lake in new york city. tonight the search to figure out how it got there. plus, video never seen before today. the investigators with a deadly accident involving an ambulance. why the company is saying what they are saying tonight. the feel of fall was in the air, especially this morning, many areas got down into the 40s well north and west of the city. mid summer warmth, though, returning by the middle part of the week. i'm meteorologist jeff smith in

for lee join the millions who have already switched. we switched. and now, we're streaming netflix. who knew time warner cable's internet was so fast! mom switched. and now, we can watch our favorite shows together, on demand. i switched. so i can connect to the internet just about anywhere with my free twc wifi hotspots. join the millions who switched to time warner cable. for $89.99 a month, you'll get 100meg internet, and hundreds

of hd channels. you'll also get unlimited calling to the us, mexico canada, china, and now india. call today. i switched. now i have a free app that lets me watch tv whenever i have the time. for $89.99 a month you'll get tv, internet and phone. and if you call now, there's no risk, no contract, no catch, no kidding. i switched to time warner cable and knew exactly when they were coming. thanks to their one hour appointment window. switch to time warner cable today. and now, for a limited time, you could get a $300 reward card. call today.

surprise, surprise for people at flushing meadows lake today in queens, an alligator, yes, an alligator, made a guest and unexpected appearance. eyewitness news reporter mallory hoff at the lake tonight with details on the reptile and its fate. mallory. >> reporter: this is where this alligator sighting took place. we are told it happened here at around 2:00 this afternoon. we are told this alligator is likely still in this general don't know. this alligator was spotted in a waterway in queens that runs

through flushing meadows corona lake. a fisherman says he spotted the gator and knew quickly the around here. >> i thought it was a rat at first, the closer i looked at it, i realized it was a gator. >> reporter: a gator it was indeed. city park rangers say it's an american alligator between 18 and 24 inches long. members of the emergency services unit gathered around attempting to catch the alligator. they tried but no luck. catch him. there's no question about it. the best chance of getting it is by snagging it. you won't hurt it, you snag it by the tail, bring it in. >> reporter: how did it get here? take a close look. do you know where this creature came from? >> a lot of people bring them up as pets when they are small, they can't take care of them, get scared of them and they toss them in the pond thinking it's okay. >> reporter: we are told this alligator has a tendency to hang out near this drain that you're looking at right now. we certainly have not seen this creature in the last few minutes.

in the meantime, park officials tell us ultimately their goal is to catch this alligator and relocate it. there certainly is no waiting or swim -- wading or swimming in this area. live in queens, new york, mallory hoff, channel 7 eyewitness news. we have learned tonight the kentucky state trooper killed on the job had been on the force for less than a year when he was shot. this afternoon fellow officers escorted trooper joseph ponder's body from the medical examiner's office to a funeral home. police say ponder was shot by a man after a traffic stop last night. officers caught up with the suspect after an overnight search. officials say police shot and killed the suspect when he refused to drop his weapon. the european union has failed to reach an agreement on a plan to share 120,000 refugees arriving in italy, greece and hungary. meanwhile, more countries are beefing up border controls. hungarian police are patrolling the border fence on horseback and even using a train car line

with razor wire to block a gap in the company's border fence. immigrants who cross the border illegally will be arrested starting at midnight. today president obama is on the turf familiar to presidential candidates in the early caucus state of iowa right now to unveil changes to the student loan program. mr. obama just walked up on stage at a high school in des moines as part of a back-to- school tour with the secretary of education. the president is announcing a change to the college financial system that will allow students to apply for assistance three months earlier. just another magic monday jeff? >> beautiful. it was cooler, though, this morning. >> little bit of a fall feel in the air. >> jacket. >> 40s outside of the city this morning for the first time since june 27th we were down in the 50s in midtown manhattan so fall is on the way, it's here 23rd. a look outside right now over toward central park, summer is going to be making a strong comeback during the week. temperature right now 75, that

wind coming in from the northwest at 10, gusting up to 22 miles per hour so like sade was saying, a little bit of a chilly breeze out there especially this morning when that temperature was in the upper 50s, the high on the day getting up to 77 degrees, which is pretty close to the normal. this is what it should feel like this time of the year, not the 97 that we got last tuesday. 93 was your record back in 1931 and the sun going down at 7:07. so feeling more like mid summer, though, for the rest of the week. the difference will be the humidity is not going to be that bad. it will stay manageable through friday and saturday. fog possible each morning, mainly in outlying areas and mainly in river valleys, particularly the hudson valley, each of these mornings, you know, between 5:00 and 7:00 in the morning, get a little bit of fog and then it burns off during the course of the day. next shot at a shower is later in the week and we still do need some rainfall despite the rain that we got during the past couple of days. a lot of places still four to 6 inches below average on the year and we are still in a

moderate drought so we could use some rain, get a little bit in there by late saturday night into sunday. lows this morning got down into the 40s in some places, sussex and somerville both got down to 48 degrees, got down to 54 even down the shore in belmar right now we are sitting pretty in the mid-70s in and around the city. only got up into the 60s in places like monticello so the higher elevations well north and west stayed darn cool during the day today. that radar and satellite showing a couple of fair weather clouds north and east of new york city, associated with the system that caused the rainfall during the past couple of days. that system now exiting into the canadian maritimes on the backside of it, that's why we are getting that wind coming in pretty brisk at times from the west and the northwest. though, overnight tonight. park. a lot of 40s, though, morristown, up to sussex, up to monticello, mid and upper 40s in those areas, down to 55 at belmar. look at tomorrow, many degrees warmer than today, getting up

to about 84 in the park. that's probably your warm spot in and around new york city, low 80s on the island and down the jersey shore. the only places that stay in the 70s probably well north and west. so plenty of sun tomorrow, the high getting up to 84. this ridge of high pressure stationary over virginia on the backside of that, you got wind coming in from the southwest and that's going to keep health us -- heating us up day by day, 86 on wednesday and keep going up from there. accuweather forecast tonight, clear, comfortable, down to 62, midtown 50s in most of the outlying areas, maybe patchy fog late well north and west of the city. plenty of sunshine, becoming warmer tomorrow, up to 84, clear to partly cloudy tomorrow, we are talking mid- 60s. coming up next half hour in your accuweather seven-day forecast, we will tell you when the peak of this warmth is and we will take a look at the tropics as well, usually this time of year it gets a little bit active. talk about that next half hour. sade, joe, back over to you. >> thank you. coming up, head back stage at "dancing with the stars" as the dancers get ready for tonight's big premiere. also, apple reveals how

many people already want the new iphone and the record it could set. the changes recommended after the death of michael brown and the unrest that followed in ferguson, missouri. plus a star studded lineup just announced for a concert at

msg i'm sigourney weaver, and new york is my home. there's no place like it in the world... like our state parks. the adirondacks are my favorite. for hiking, fishing, camping, you name it. niagara falls is the oldest state park, but visiting it never gets old. the readers of a national newspaper voted letchworth the #1 state park in america. watkins glen, #3. new york state parks are a gift. plan your vacation at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone.

stocks on wall street

kicking the trading week off with more losses. stocks fell ahead of the anticipated meeting of the week. it's still not clear if the fed will raise key interest rates which have been at historic lows since the recession. the dow fell 62 points closing at 16,370, the nasdaq lost 16 points and s&p 500 dropped eight points. calls for change tonight following the death of michael brown in ferguson, missouri. a panel formed after the shooting, he is pushing for major changes and a decrease in the use of police force. abc's kenneth motin looks at >> reporter: discriminatory policing, the ferguson commission laid it out in an independent report sparked by violent protests after the michael brown. >> if we are clear about accountability, if we are serious about racial equity and if we really do want all to have an opportunity to thrive, it gets tough but it's worth it.

>> reporter: officer darren wilson shooting of brown was deemed justified but the commission found excessive police force eroding community trust, strained relations between officers and frustrated residents who don't feel respected. social and economic divisions. the diverse 16 member commission appointed by missouri governor jay nixon spent months hearing from the public and looking into practices of police departments in the st. louis region. >> the way to prove this work means something is to do something. >> reporter: the commission recommended changing and policing increasing the minimum wage and improving disparities in the educational system. >> our hope is that reading this report it will begin for some, continue for others a learning process. >> reporter: the report says black drivers were 75% more likely to be stopped in missouri than whites last year. the department of justice discovered similar findings in march, racial bias and the need to generate ref fueled traffic -- revenue fueled traffic stops.

the doj and the ferguson commission both made recommendations but there are questions about whether and how soon action will be taken. governor in nixon says the commissioner's work will not -- commission's work will not be in vein. still ahead, breaking news, a ruling just in on whether the jewish community can continue a tradition of killing live chickens in brooklyn. plus an eyewitness news investigators exclusive, new video of another deadly accident involving a private ambulance company and what the company says about drivers falling asleep. and scalpers trying to sell tickets to see the pope that are supposed to be free.

7 on your oh my gosh, it's the guy from last night. what?! can i jump on your wi-fi? yeah, you can try it. hey! i had a really good time last night. yeah, me too. the only thing is that... the only thing is what? what's the only thing? oh my gosh he's married. he's a kleptomaniac. he's a pyromaniac. he's a total maniac. hey! hey! go back to your wife you sociopath! leave slow internet behind. get the fastest wifi available for better streaming.

the 100% fiber optics network is here. tea? get out of the past. get fios. you're watching new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news.

new video of a deadly accident involving the largest privately run ambulance company in the city. it's an eyewitness news investigators exclusive. and breaking news, a ruling on whether the jewish community can kill live chickens in a ritual in brooklyn. and the ruling coming down in the past half hour. good evening again, i'm sade baderinwa. >> and i'm joe torres. diana williams is off tonight. a judge has decided the community can continue to kill the chickens as part of its ritual. n.j. decision. he's live in borough park. n.j. >> reporter: that's right, sade, we got the decision here about 40 minutes ago. the decision handed down by the judge in manhattan state supreme court. it is being seen here in borough park with a mix of anger and relief. the annual ritual is known as ca poreos with thousands of worshipers seek to absolve themselves of sin by slaughtering chickens. it happens in the days leading

up to yom kippur. what was once a discrete private, religious ceremony has become a grotesque public spectacle with 50,000 chickens slaughtered every year many on the streets of williamsburg, crown heights and borough park where we are right now. a lawsuit was filed on behalf of neighbors, many of whom are jewish who claim the rituals are held in public streets without permits through brazen violations of health codes and animal cruelty laws. we spoke on the phone with the attorney who brought the lawsuit intended to end the practice. >> i can't even believe this is going on and it's going on legally. i'm just -- i'm beside myself. i don't understand this. how could this be taking place on city streets and sidewalks and the police don't do anything about it and now the court isn't doing anything about it either. i respect the judge, i respect your decision but i'm disappointed and i respectfully

disagree with the decision. >> reporter: and no word from miss moreno just a short time ago as to whether the plaintiffs will appeal. ultraorthodox supports of the ritual were unable to comment on camera because of religious reasons but they have defended the practice as humane and -- >> thank you, n.j. now an eyewitness news investigators exclusive. we have learned of another deadly accident involving the largest privately run ambulance company in the city and there is video of the fatal crash. eyewitness news investigative reporter jim hoffer has this exclusive story. >> reporter: in an earlier investigation we reported on two separate accidents involving drivers who fell asleep behind the wheel of a senior care ambulance causing death and serious injury. now we have uncovered a third crash involving the huge bronx based company and new video showing the emt driver dozing

off with deadly results. an early morning in 2010, a senior care ambulance driver is transporting this person to a long island nursing home. her husband richard is with her in the back of the ambulance. it's their last time together. new dashcam video we have obtained shows the senior care driver falls asleep behind wheel and slams into a tree. the impact kills perla's husband. >> all they said was your father is dead. your father is dead. the ambulance crashed. >> reporter: a department of motor vehicles investigation concluded the driver had fallen asleep because she had been awake more than 20 hours after agreeing to work back-to-back shifts. but as our investigation has uncovered, senior care emt drivers continued to follow asleep with devastating results.

in 2012 a senior care driver appears to nod off striking several parked cars and a woman who was nearly killed. >> she has had reconstructive surgery, she has difficulty walking, she has constant pain. >> reporter: then earlier this year senior care ambulance runs off the road striking the utility pole, killing janet hickey, a patient in the back of the ambulance. sources tell us the teenaged ambulance driver fell asleep behind the wheel. senior care insists the driver was fully qualified, met the company's rest rules and had cleared all drug tests after the accident. >> why are they falling asleep behind the wheel? >> i have no comment to you right now. >> reporter: after repeated requests to speak to the head of senior care, we decided a few days ago to confront him in an attempt to get some answers. >> why not talk to us now? we are here. we have tried to reach you several times, even come to the office and you have never

returned our calls. why are your drivers so fatigued? >> reporter: in a statement the head of senior care said all of their emt drivers receive classroom training and take an on road supervised drivers test plus annual driver reeducation courses adding that their safety regulations exceed state requirements, but the families of those killed and injured in senior care accidents say it's not nearly enough. >> we need to bring light to this because when you are taken by ambulance, the last thing that you expect is this ambulance to cause death. >> reporter: our investigation has found that there are few state requirements to drive an ambulance except that the drivers are legally licensed and that the ambulance company, quote, has a training program authorized by the service, in other words, the ambulance company can determine the type of training and how much training is needed.

back to you. new information tonight about that mistaken police takedown of former tennis bro james blake in manhattan last week. police commissioner bill bratton today said blake was handcuffed and held on the ground for less than one minute, not for 15 minutes as some media outlets have reported. bratton and mayor de blasio have apologized to blake for the mistake. the new york city police department's hate crime unit is investigating a possible bias attack on manhattan's east side. it happened on the patio of a restaurant on second avenue just after 1:00 a.m. police say a group of people walked up to a 27-year-old woman and her 46-year-old mother and shouted antigay remarks. then the younger woman was pushed and knocked to the ground. a world trade center security guard under arrest tonight. investigators say he stabbed a man outside a mcdonald's in lower manhattan. police say the 20-year-old victim apparently threw french fries at the guard inside the restaurant early this morning. the two men stepped outside,

police say the guard stabbed the man. the victim was not seriously injured. strike talks resume today on long island to try to keep school bus drivers from walking off the job. drivers for bus company bowman and sons are threatening to go on strike if their demands for higher wages are not met. a strike would affect an estimated 15,000 students in counties. more tests will be conducted on the engine of a british airways plane that caught fire on the runway. the fire erupted on a flight taking off from las vegas headed for london. you can see the heavy smoke and flames consume the plane as the emergency slides deploy. more than 150 passengers escaped down those slides and ran to safety while the fire was put out. a star studded concert at msg before the pope celebrates mass. we will tell you who will be performing. and beyond clothing and

trends, the impact fashion week is having on new york city. and apple reveals how pre order sales have been on the new iphone 6s. breaking news tonight's, the massive wildfire -- tonight, the massive wildfire here in california, the inferno, hundreds of homes by flames. i will take you into the neighborhoods tonight. and a popular professor shot and kille introducing starbucks small-batch cold brew coffee. in stores now.

it took serena williams years to master the two handed backhand. but only one shot to master the chase mobile app. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank.

caring about the things that make each of our clients unique... ...that's what makes riverspring health unique.

new details tonight about pope francis' event in madison square garden next week. a special program will be held before the papal mass. on friday, september 25th featuring performances by jennifer hudson, gloria estefan, harry connick, jr. and others. a full list of performers at abc7ny.com. it's fashion week here in new york city and a local lawmaker says whether or not you're a clothes hound, you really should appreciate how

much money the event makes for our economy. congresswoman carolyn mahoney say the two annual fashion weeks bring in close to $9,880,000,000 for the city. she says new york eclipsed london, paris and milan as the world fashion headquarters. >> people do not realize that it even employs more people in our country than are employed in the mobile industry so it's not only exciting and fun and entrepreneurial and creative, it really is big and important business. >> 900 million, that's a big number. maloney says this week's fashion show events will bring in more money for new york city than the marathon, the u.s. open and last year's super bowl. >> that is just incredible. well, apple is reporting robust pre sales for its new iphone. preorders for the iphone 6s models are so strong, apple

last year apple sold more than 10 million units of its previous iphone models in just three days. the iphone 6s hits stores on september 25th. meanwhile, we are hours away, "dancing with the stars" gets ready to welcome a new cast of contestants. who are the early favorites? we are live in hollywood. lucky lottery winners are finding out via e-mail they want a chance to see the pope in person but coming up how some are trying to profit from the free tickets and how you need to be careful with yours. and we have a cool breeze out there right now but the big weather story this week, a major warmup. temperatures perhaps more than 10 degrees above average as we head into the middle part of the week. i'm meteorologist jeff smith in for lee goldberg.

your exclusive

s

firefighters in california are making little progress against a wildfire that has killed one person and forced more than 1000 people from their homes. authorities said today that an elderly disabled woman died when her house in northern california was overwhelmed by flames. the fire destroyed hundreds of homes over the weekend and triggered thousands of evacuations north of napa valley. officials say the record number of wildfires are impacting the state's water supply and infrastructure. >> it is tough there. in california. >> little bit of good news out there, getting storminess moving into the pacific northwest and parts of california so they might be much needed rainfall. we did all of our rain? >> yeah, the past couple of days we got much needed rain around here but now we are looking at dry and quiet weather through the weekend. big warmup, mid summer levels thursday. a live look right now, crystal clear skies down toward the empire state building, 75 degrees, look at that wind

coming in from the northwest at 10, gusting up to 22 miles per hour, it's been gusting even higher than that at times today so it's downright cool breeze in some areas especially considering we get down to the 50s earlier this morning. joe's mets are playing tonight at citi field facing the marlins. 73 degrees at game time and 7:10, it's basically dark by that time. the sun goes down at 7:09. it's a big warmup, the jet retreating to the north, the jet stream separating the air masses between the warmth to the south and the cooler air to the north, five to 10 degrees above normal as we head into the tuesday through thursday time period and actually at least 10 degrees above normal as we head into wednesday and thursday. right now temperatures in the mid-70s in morristown, 66 up toward monticello, this area of low pressure moving out exiting into the canadian maritimes on the backside of that, we have been getting the northwesterly wind which has been brisk at times. there's that storminess moving into northern parts of

california, giving them some much needed rainfall, at the same time it's going to be pumping up the ridge over the eastern half of the country and that means we are going to be warming things up in a big way. tropics right now, not that active but we have a system that we are keeping a close eye on, national hurricane center giving it about a 70% chance of developing way out here in the middle of the atlantic ocean. the leeward islands are back here on the left-hand side of your screen so we have many days to watch that. sending the kids out to the bus stop tomorrow morning, temperatures around 62, 50s in most of the outlying areas, there will be patchy valley fog out there and then heading into the afternoon, we will have temperatures probably getting up to about 84 in and around the city, plenty of sunshine, becoming warmer out there. hey, you might want to head to the beach, winds coming in from the west around 10 miles per hour, waves about 2 feet, water temperatures low to mid-70s still and that rip current risk is low, weather wellness nor tomorrow, air quality good, uv index is a 6 which is high and the pollen is moderate, ragweed and grasses really being the main culprits. accuweather forecast tonight,

clear, comfortable, 62 in mid towns, 50s in many of the outlying areas, 84 for a high tomorrow so we become warmer and then we become even warmer by a couple degrees each day as we head through thursday. wednesday 86, thursday 88 degrees, maybe a couple of spots hit 90, the difference between this and last week, humidity won't be that bad. still warm on friday, 86. warm with a blend of sun and clouds on saturday, 84. are we in san diego? as we head into saturday night and sunday, maybe a much needed shower or thundershower in the area before we cool things back off to 78 by next monday. not too shabby out there. we need the rain. might get a little bit. >> whole lot of warm. thank you, jeff. a couple of hours from now, the next competitors of "dancing with the stars" hit the ballroom for season 21. >> season 21, wow. bindi irwin and nick carter already the vegas favorites. place your wages. brandi hitt is live with the star studded studio in hollywood. >> reporter: yes, this is when the nerves are really starting

to kick in with the final rehearsals underway behind the big door behind me. nearly all of the celebrities have plenty of television experience, that's not the issue. that's not what makes this show so great. it's that most of them admit they have no professional dance experience whatsoever. after a brutal dancing boot camp, the cast of season 21's "dancing with the stars" is ready to kick up their heels. wildlife wore ybarra wind -- warrior bindi irwin is going against alek scarlatos. >> trying to have fun on the way. >> and the red sequin costumes. >> absolutely, yes. [ music ] >> ain't nobody chaka khan is taking on andy grammar. >> it's hard to do. >> but actor gary busey is promising chemistry.

>> i'm dancing in this show, it is going to be beyond electric, going to be cosmic. >> social media star hayes grier is up against reality star kim sole yack biermann and tamara braxton and then celebrity chef paula deen. >> he glides and here i come, up and down. >> reporter: and a dancing first, husband and wife alexa and carlos penavega are competing against each other. >> we were just talking about how this show has consumed our life. >> completely. >> 13 stars but only one will take home the mirror ball trophy. now, no one is on the chopping block this week but tonight someone is going to be missing from the dancing cast and it's a big name, judge len goodman is out this season. he says he couldn't work it into his busy schedule. in the fall he flies back and forth while he also judges a dancing competition in the u.k. and on top of that, he has a brand-new grandson so priorities for him, which is spend time with family while he judges that show and he says he

couldn't commit this year. but they are going to try to bring him on every once in a while in the season, oneoffs here and there with a guest appearance so we look forward to that. we will see how they do tonight. i have my favorites. i think it's bindi. >> chaka khan. >> yeah. >> brandi, thank you. have fun. you can watch the two-hour season premiere tonight at 8:00 right here on channel 7. >> speaking of bindi, i remember when she was that little girl and grown up now scalpers out selling tickets to see the pope that were supposed to be for free. 7 on your side with a warning for sellers and buyers. and coming up at 6:00, an mta bus driver accused of taking a city bus on a joyride. police say his blood alcohol legal limit.

that and mo take a look at these bbq trophies: best cracked pepper sauce... most ribs eaten while calf roping... yep, greatness deserves recognition. you got any trophies, cowboy? whoomp there it is uh, yeah... well, uh, well there's this one. best insurance mobile app? yeah, two years in a row. well i'll be... does that thing just follow you around? like a little puppy!

the award-winning geico app. download it today. i'm michael douglas, and new york is my home. there's no place like it in the world. and there's no time to see it like the fall. take metro north to take in the beautiful fall foliage from high above the hudson. swing a club at one of america's greatest courses... see spectacular sights underground... ...or thrilling sights above it. there's so many incredible ways to experience the fun of fall in new york state. plan your trip at iloveny.com. there's something for everyone.

pope francis is arrives in new york city next week and some people are trying to make money off of his visit. tickets that new york city gave residents for free now going

for thousands of dollars on craigslist but 7 on your side's nina pineda is here with what you need to know before paying up. >> don't buy, don't sell, that is the message from the mayor's office tonight as the archdiocese sternly admonished anyone trying to profit from the pope. at mass today the devout are downright dismayed to learn scalpers are selling the pope for profit. >> the pope is a man for the people, a man -- he represents every man, especially the impoverished. how is it we are selling tickets to see him and profiting by that? >> reporter: passes to get a peep at the papal procession in new york are advertised all over the internet. this seller on craigslist wants 600 for two. this one warns don't miss it, seeking $1000 for a pair of tickets which were all given away for free. >> that really is against everything that pope francis stands for. >> reporter: the leader much catholics world -- of catholics worldwide often sounded off on inequality and those obsessed with the money. >> it's not just for the rich. not just for the well to do.

he wants to be able to reach out to people even of very modest means and that's why tickets to papal events are always free. >> reporter: 40,000 free pairs of tickets to see the pope ride through central park on september 25th are being distributed by the city. in a security briefing today the mayor said his office is working with craigslist and ebay to inhibit the selling of any pope passes. >> it's disgusting that anyone would take a free ticket for someone to see his holiness and decide to resell it. let's start are basic human values. no one should do that. >> reporter: the first batch of e-mails was informing lottery winners went out last week. this seller posted his online charging 1 million for his pair but recanting in the ad saying he would take the best offer or a full-time job in exchange for his tickets. >> they mailed me a ticket. >> reporter: kathy day is one of the lucky lottery numbers. we won't show the ticket printed out from her e-mail

because it's easy for scalpers to steal bar codes. >> it's priceless, totally priceless. >> reporter: remember, there's a risk buying anything online from a stranger. toes tickets can be e-mailed to multiple buyers and you could pay for tickets that won't get you in the gate if that bar code has already been scanned or is a fake. also a reminder, keep a photos of those tickets off social media. wouldn't want anyone to steal your code off facebook and then snatch your chance to see his holeness in person -- holiness in person. still much more ahead, eyewitness news at 6:00 starts right now. >> this is new york's number 1 news, channel 7 eyewitness news with bill ritter and liz cho. the nypd stages a major security drill involving city and federal agencies with the

pope's visit to the united states now just about one week away. and today we learned new details on the widespread security planned for new york city. but first, exclusive video of an mta driver accused of driving drunk and going for a joyride in a new york city bus. good evening, everyone. i'm joe torres. liz and bill off tonight. tonight the mta has suspended the driver who now faces serious charges. police size hi blood alcohol -- say his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he drove erratically on the northern state parkway on long island. so how did he get inside the bus on his day off? eyewitness news reporter kristin thorne in jamaica/queens with our lead story. chris tick. >> reporter: joe, police say alexander copeland simply took the bus from outside the bus depot here because it was parked on the street. the mta will not discuss how its bus drivers get onto their